On the Olympic channel commentary, Ryan Bradley explained the technical detail that caused Chris to fall out of the jump and turn out. As Chris was lifting into the jump, he turned his head to the left, which Ryan says
"makes it difficult to get your weight over the right foot as you transition from the left foot to the right. If something is just a little bit off, there's not enough time to make adjustments in the air..." Possibly Chris and Sappenfield are aware of this? But it's one thing to know the problem and another thing to sufficiently correct it in action? Ryan praises Chris for staying on his feet. But to me, Chris seems to make the same or a similar mistake every time on those sbs jumps. Probably Chris' height is also a factor. But why can't he get some tips from other tall male skaters like Peter Oppegard, Todd Sand, and Robin Cousins?
Certainly, Chris and Alexa are a nice looking pair, and granted they are coming back from Alexa's health issues, but I don't really see a lot that distinguishes them as the best the U.S. has to offer, aside from their favored status and the rep they established for their quad twist prior to Alexa's illness. It's probably still up-in-the-air (
) as to whether they might be able to flash their quad-twist at the Olympics. They have spoken about possibly bringing the quad-twist back later in the season, so maybe they'll show it at U.S. Nationals in gearing up for the Olympics. It might be nice to see their quad twist again, if Alexa is in good enough shape. However, I'd rather see Chris making solid improvements in his sbs jump technique!
As the favored U.S. team, Alexa/Chris seemingly are automatically received and perceived by international judges better than other U.S. teams overall. Of course, no other U.S. team has made a strong case for themselves on the ice this season either, aside from Denney/Frazier in the sp
at SC. So, that does leave Alexa/Chris as top-favored U.S. team. But I wouldn't call them the best. They are just right now the U.S. team with the most rep status. If one or more of the other viable teams could put something together to help up the ante for some competitiveness at U.S. Nationals, at the very least that would give Alexa/Chris something more to battle for. I don't know what the answers are, but the political-based assumptions are off-putting. I don't blame Alexa/Chris for this 'favored' state of affairs, but I hope that at least they can show more improvement with cleanly landing their sbs jumps as a targeted goal!
I would agree with the observation that Alexa/Chris need a bit more excitement to their skating. They are really cool people, but I've never been a huge fan of their skating. I do recognize that their elements are generally crisp and they've shown some aesthetic improvements. Alexa is more solid on the sbs jumps than Chris, and Alexa gets good height and distance on the throw jumps. Their throw twist is spectacular whether a triple or a quad, and so that's their money move. Obviously the throw quad twist is a huge asset and the major calling card which set them up a few years ago for the rep status they currently receive from international judges, as the favored U.S. pair team. They received a very good 65+ sp score from the judges at NHK, especially after Chris' fallout on the sbs jump. Ryan B suggesting that Alexa/Chris are anywhere close right now to knocking on elite tier territory of 70+ is unfortunately wishful thinking.
I personally feel that D/F have quite lovely elements too, but they've been slowed in their progress by Haven's rehabilitation after her serious knee injury and surgery. Kayne/O'Shea had strong consistency as their calling card until Tarah's nagging overuse injury and subsequent surgery, not to mention the concussion she suffered at 2017 U.S. Nats. Bottom line, without the injuries, surgeries and illness, the U.S.'s top teams would be in a better position to battle it out more strongly against each other at least. Above average competitiveness at home is the first step toward building high level competitiveness and consistency internationally.
The newest up-and-coming U.S. teams, Cain/LeDuc and Stellato/Bartholomay, are dealing with growing pains and sophomore blues in an Olympic year, but both teams have shown promise. Also, Castelli/Tran could definitely challenge, if not for poor rep caused by their ongoing variant jump technique & timing difficulties, as well as the citizenship obstacle which takes time to resolve. Beyond that there are other good-looking U.S. teams, but no one has yet been able to set anything into high gear with improved technique, exciting programs, and consistent performances. The Knierims and D/F were making a bit of noise in that direction, prior to their setbacks. And it takes time to rebuild, especially when the overall pairs program in the U.S. is so lacking. IMO, it's not a lack of talent. It's a lack of resources, a lack of high level coaching, a lack of good teams staying together, and a lack of effective strategic guidance. Added to those deficiencies is a need for more brilliant packaging (music, concept, chore, & costuming).
Perhaps John Zimmerman's coaching/choreography team in Florida and eventually Brubaker/Berton in Chicago can make a unique difference that helps push the other U.S. pairs training camps (Jim Peterson-FL, Dalilah Sappenfield-CO, Meno/Sand-CA, and Bobby Martin-MA) to significantly up the excellence of their programs. I think it will take a more concerted effort though by U.S. fed to become fully engaged with finding solutions to help improve and advance the competitiveness of the U.S. pairs discipline. It's one thing to hold summer training camps and to solicit the assistance of a successful international coach for a promising team. That's piecemeal attempts to catch-up though, and it's simply not enough to make a dent over the long term, nor even the short term so far.
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